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THURSDAY March 9, 2000 vol. 11, no. 49 SECTION TWOSee why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!"
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Today's liturgy is shared as Thursday after Ash Wednesday and the optional feast of Saint Frances of Rome, religious while tomorrow we observe Friday after Ash Wednesday. For the readings, liturgies, meditations, and profile on Saint Frances of Rome, see DAILY LITURGY.
"If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For he who would save his life will lose it; but he who loses his life for My sake will save it. For what does it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, but ruin or lose himself?"
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the words of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen have been known to launch a thousand images in one's mind, one of the ways this late luminary did so much to evangelize the faith. Because of the urgency of the times and because few there are today who possess the wisdom, simplicity and insight than the late Archbishop who touched millions, we are bringing you daily gems from his writings. The good bishop makes it so simple that we have dubbed this daily series: "SIMPLY SHEEN".
"There is more happiness in rejoicing in the good of others, than in rejoicing in our own good. The receiver rejoices in his good; the giver in the joy of others and to such comes the peace nothing in the world can give."
NOTE: We respectfully recognize and accept the final authority regarding apparitions, locutions and prophecies presently being reported around the world rests with the Holy See of Rome and the Magisterium of Holy Mother Church to whose judjment we humbly and obediently submit.
"Dear children! Wake up from the sleep of unbelief and sin, because this is a
time of grace which God gives you. Use this time and seek the grace of healing of your heart from God, so that
you may see God and man with the heart. Pray in a special way for those who have not come to know God's
love, and witness with your life so that they also can come to know God and His immeasurable love. Thank you
for having responded to my call."
Through the stewardship of Catholic Journalism you can help us reach more souls by sending whatever you can to help keep the DailyCATHOLIC going strong since it is the only daily publication of its kind for Catholics anywhere in the world in daily promoting the truths of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
As the secular news media worldwide continues to misunderstand the intent and kind of ceremony the Holy Father will conduct this coming Sunday, which we are calling "Mea Culpa Sunday," when the Vicar of Christ will lead all the faithful in petition to God for reconciliation and forgiveness from sins of the past. The Theologian of the Papal Household, Father Georges Cottier explains what is entailed even though some Italian Jews and other fringe groups feel it is not enough. Our question: Is anyone other than the Church apologizing for the sins of the past or are all these other groups sinless?
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VATICAN CITY, MAR 8 (ZENIT/CWN).- The international press has given much
space to the document "Memory and Reconciliation: the Church and Faults
of the Past," presented in the Vatican yesterday. In the vast majority
of cases, the document was well received, but there have been some
misunderstandings. Fr. Georges Cottier, secretary of the International
Theological Commission that authored the document, and theologian of the
Papal Household, spoke to Vatican Radio to clarify a number of issues.
"The Holy Father's initiative is so surprising and so stupendous that it
requires reflection. It has surprised many people, including Catholics
themselves, some of whom have said that perhaps he has gone a bit too
far, that it is somewhat imprudent. Others wondered how it would be
received by the majority of Catholics," Fr. Cottier disclosed.
The French theologian explained: "We had to reply, because it is a
pastoral problem. We had to make it understood that this looking at the
truth of the Church's past allows for clear discernment of what the
Spirit does in the Church as a result of the behavior of her children,
who are often sinners. We had to make manifest the social dimensions of
our acts, because many sins of Christians scandalize and impede the
purity of the announcement of the Gospel. In serving the truth, the
Church makes herself stronger, precisely because she leans on truth
itself. In our document, and in 'Tertio Millennio Adveniente,' a phrase
is quoted from the Conciliar Declaration on religious liberty that
states: 'truth is defended only with truth itself.' "
Fr. Cottier then commented on the difficulty of determining what
historical faults require a request for pardon. "First of all, we must
speak of the faults that really existed. When speaking of the Church's
past, many things are said, which are often calumnies or myths.
Historical truth is the first requirement. We must speak of real events
and of their real significance. Moreover, it must be said that all
Christians sin -- and this is true -- but it is also true that at the
beginning of Mass we always ask for forgiveness for our sins and the
Church has always asked for forgiveness of sins. From my point of view,
it's about seeing which sins, scandals, or anti-testimonies constitute
an obstacle to people's coming to Christ and his Gospel," the Dominican
theologian stressed.
Fr. Cottier said that the document is no more than the result of the
work of a group of theologians, not a pontifical decree. He invited
these experts to seriously continue with this reflection. "The Pope has
opened a new page in theology," Fr. Cottier concluded.
ZE00030808
Catholic World News reports that the leader of Italy's Jewish
communities on Wednesday said the Catholic Church's plans
for reconciliation with the sins of Christians of the past
is inadequate when it comes to the Holocaust.
Amos Luzzatto, president of the Union of Jewish
Communities, told reporters that a document released this
week outlining the framework of the pardon did not go far
enough in speaking about the behavior of Catholics during
the Holocaust which left 6 million Jews dead as well as
anti-Semitism before World War II.
"The Church not only had theological relations (with the
Jews) but also political relations, with real decrees and
laws which inflicted defamation, alienation, the ghettos,
and the yellow star on the Jews," he said. Prior to Italian
unification in 1870, the popes were political rulers over
central Italy when much of what Luzzatto described took
place.
"There is no mention of this. It seems to me that to say
all these things were the effect of some Christians who did
not understand the Gospel message is very limiting and very
doubtful," he said. "It was not 'some Christians' who
issued decrees like that of Pope Paul IV to lock Jews in
the ghetto ...," he said. Pope Paul IV reigned in the 16th
century.
A papal letter published in 1998 made extensive reference
to the Holocaust and historic anti-Semitism among members
of the Church.
Alleluia for the Roman Catholic Church's strong support in California! In Super Tuesday's voting in California, Proposition 22, a highly debated issue over protecting the sanctity of heterosexual marriage against the erosion of the homosexual agenda. Over 61% of California voters decided in favor of keeping marriage exclusively between a man and a woman which closed the door on any state approval of same-sex unions until possibly the next election for gays are threatening to get the referendum on the ballot again. When they do the Church will dig in again and do all in its power and call upon the power of God to keep a complete recreation of Sodom out of California. By passing the measure, the Golden state joined 30 other states who have voted against gay marriages or same-sex rights to this date. continued inside.
SACRAMENTO (CWNews.com) - Californians passed a measure to
protect the current status of legal marriage in the state
by a wide margin on Tuesday.
About 61 percent of voters approved Proposition 22, while
39 percent opposed it. The briefly worded proposal said,
"Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and
recognized in California," and was a means to prevent the
recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other states
where it may be legalized.
Exit polls found the measure was supported equally by men
and woman and by all races and income groups. "Californians
have rejected the politics of fear and division by passing
Proposition 22," according to David Orgon Coolidge,
director of the Marriage Law Project in Washington, DC.
"Voters came together, across racial and religious lines,
to reaffirm the meaning of marriage."
Homosexual activists said they will work to have a new
proposal passed through legislation, executive order, or
via ballot which would grant the same legal rights to
homosexual and lesbian couples as enjoyed by married
couples.
Pro-family groups, however, were emboldened by the
California victory and other recent bans on same-sex
marriage to predict that similar bans will soon be in place
across the US. "If the liberal states of Hawaii, Alaska, and
now California can do it, then the 19 other states without
statutory protection for marriage can and must do it, too,"
said Janet Parshall, spokesman for the Family Research
Council.
Since percentages are rampant now that Super Tuesday is still being counted and more polls will come out of the woodwork as we head for November, a new poll in Israel has been released that shows 60% of the Jewish people are eager for and support the Holy Father's planned visit to their land in two weeks during the main leg of his "Jubilee Journey." The same report reveals that the majority of the Jewish faithful admitted to ignorance about the Roman Catholic Church teachings on anti-Semitism and the Holocaust.
continued inside.
JERUSALEM (CWNews.com) - A new poll on Wednesday found most
Israeli Jews were looking forward to Pope John Paul II's
visit to the country this month, although the majority were
secular or non-practicing Jews.
Sixty percent of Jewish Israeli said they are happy about
the upcoming trip March 21-26, while only 8.3 percent of
ultra-Orthodox Israelis agreed with them. Thirteen percent
had a negative view.
Dr. Ron Kronish, director of the Interreligious
Coordinating Council in Israel (ICCI), said: "These
findings contradict the 'conventional wisdom' that Israelis
are either negative or apathetic about the Pope,
Christianity and related matters."
The ICCI said most Israelis realized the main purpose of
the visit was a "pilgrimage to holy sites" or "spreading a
message of peace and dialogue in the year 2000." The poll
found a "high level of ignorance" about the Church's
teachings on anti-Semitism and the Holocaust: only 44
percent of Israelis were aware of the Vatican's open
opposition to anti-Semitism.
With the terrible devastation caused by cyclone Eline still ravaging the entire country of Mozambique in southeast Africa, the Pope has begun relief efforts with a $150,000 donation. The tragedy in this area has also received over 1,650 million dollars from Caritas organizations throughout the world. All of this money, of course, is but a mere drop in the bucket of funds which are still badly needed to help the beleaguered peoples and begin reconstruction. continued inside.
VATICAN CITY, MAR 8 (ZENIT).- John Paul II responded to the catastrophic
news coming from Mozambique, with a $150,000 donation for the victims of
cyclone Eline.
Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, President of the Pontifical Council "Cor
Unum," the institution responsible for promoting and organizing the
Church's aid and charitable activities, left Rome today as papal envoy
to this devastated African country. The donation made to Mozambique
comes from the Holy Father's Charity Fund and the Pontifical Work for
the Propagation of the Faith. It will be allocated to the most urgent
needs.
The Catholic Church worldwide responded to the tragedy in Mozambique
through national Caritas organizations. To date, $1,650 million has been
collected. A Vatican Press Office statement explains that the present
contribution "is only the beginning of support for a country that today
faces a most uncertain future."
The southeast of Mozambique is covered by water. There are 400 confirmed
deaths, but it is feared that as the waters recede, many bodies will
surface. In the midst of an unbearable fetid odor, rescue teams have
prepared common graves. One million people have been affected by the
cyclone.
According to the Vatican agency "Fides," the Pontifical Missionary Works
are already analyzing a long-term plan for the reconstruction of
pastoral centers, churches, and social structures of the dioceses.
Archbishop Cordes will be in Mozambique for three days. He has scheduled
meetings with the country's episcopate, directors of Caritas-Mozambique,
and government authorities. The St. Vincent de Paul Sisters, who were
loaned a helicopter by a Spanish benefactor three months ago, have
placed it at Archbishop Cordes' disposal, so that he can visit the areas
most affected by the floods and express the Pope's encouragement to the
victims.
Archbishop Janusz Juliusz, Apostolic Nuncio in Mozambique, told "Fides"
that the "gratitude of the Mozambican people to John Paul II is immense.
His appeals and concrete help are an important support in the tragedy
afflicting the country." On March 7, the Mozambican bishops published a
statement expressing their gratitude to the Holy Father for the constant
assistance given to the country and his repeated appeals for aid to
Mozambique.
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Contrasting the opinion of many uniformed "experts" regarding the coffers of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", the curial office charged with the distribution of the Pope's Private Charities - also called "Peter's Pence," released its annual accounting of such donations and showed sizeable giving in war-torn areas such as Kosovo, East Timor and now Mozambique as well as other underdeveloped third-world countries. continued inside.
VATICAN CITY, MAR 8 (ZENIT).- The Pontifical Council "Cor Unum,"
responsible for promoting and supporting charitable initiatives of the
Church, and presided by German Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, has
published its annual report, giving figures that reflect the Holy
Father's special concerns over the past year.
On behalf of the Pope, "Cor Unum" gave a total of $1,211,600 in aid to
peoples affected by natural calamities, and $555,000 to support projects
for human and Christian development. In addition, the "100 Projects of
the Holy Father," promoted by this Pontifical Council, donated $20
million to over 200 projects of spiritual and corporal assistance.
The "Panis Caritatis" program, organized by "Cor Unum" in Italy, which
donates part of the cost of a loaf of bread to a solidarity fund,
through an agreement with producers and distributors of bread, collected
$350,000 last year, which was sent to the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Rwanda, and Sudan.
The papal foundation "Populorum Progressio" financed 215 micro-projects
for Indian and African American poor rural communities in Latin America,
amounting to a total of $1,705,900. The other papal institution created
for such purposes, the "John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel," which is
concerned with droughts and blighting of the 9 countries of that region,
allocated $5,500,000 to the area.
These figures do not include the direct aid the Pope gave to Eastern
Churches and the missions. The previous year this amounted to
$189,618,000.
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Mardi Gras and the Carnival are now a memory but the 30,000 who attended a special spiritual retreat in lieu of the pagan cavorting have many memories and graces. The Archdiocese of Rio, headed by Cardinal Eugenio de Araujo Sales since 1971, provided an alternative to the raucous activities with quiet time where confession and conversion were the central themes of the event with hundreds of priests available to all the faithful. continued inside.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, MAR 8 (ZENIT.org).- For the past 18 years, the
Catholic Charismatic Renewal has offered a spiritual retreat as an
alternative to the excesses of Carnival. This year, some 30,000 people
participated in Monday's Mass. Because of the growth of the event, it is
no longer held in "Nossa Senhora da Piedade," as it was ten years ago.
Now it is being held in Maracanăzinho stadium to accomodate the crowds.
Confession and conversion are the central themes of the event, and 158
priests were hearing confessions throughout the event. As of Monday,
4180 confessions had been heard. The four-day rental of the stadium cost
$34,500, but collections at the Masses were sufficient to pay for this
cost.
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